NEW YORK - An unsophisticated bomb went off early Thursday morning outside the Times Square military recruiting office in New York City.

The explosion just before 4 a.m. caused minor damage to a kiosk that houses recruiters for all branches of the military, Voice of America reported. Subway service through Times Square, one of Manhattan's major mass transit nodes, was briefly suspended and streets closed to traffic for more than two hours until police were sure no other bombs had been placed.

Witnesses reported seeing a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt bicycling away from the area, The New York Times said. Investigators were looking at links to 2005 and 2007 explosions at the British and Mexican consulates, both involving crude bombs. In one case, a cyclist in a gray hooded sweatshirt was spotted at the scene.

The device was in an ammunition case, said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. He said the boxes can be purchased at military surplus stores.

The recruiting kiosk opened in 1999. There have been recruiting offices on the site in the middle of the square since 1946.